


Wasted Breath

by KyeAbove



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Blood, Character Death, Gen, Murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-04-06 10:43:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14055231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyeAbove/pseuds/KyeAbove
Summary: Sammy is perfect for Joey’s plans. But Joey can’t get to Sammy without giving him a reason to fall, and he knows the perfect way to cause the most pain.





	Wasted Breath

**Author's Note:**

> With the new trailer I thought I should probably get this posted before it’s disproved. Johnny and Sammy are brothers here.
> 
> (Formally a part of The Reinforcement of Agony series, but is now divorced from it)

Once, being an employee at Joey Drew Studios meant working hard and being happy. Now, it was keeping up that illusion. Keeping it up, while acting like the warning signs weren’t growing. Telling yourself it was worth a paycheck. That it was unlikely you could so readily get another job. Especially doing what you loved.

Johnny loved music, especially the piano. Yet, his fingers moved slower than they normally would, and there was less of a flow to his play. Johnny was distracted, fearful, because watching him from the balcony was Joey Drew.

The unspoken rule these days was to not trust Joey. Or trust him completely. There weren’t many choices in between.

Everyone else was ignoring Joey, but their music was just as uninspired. That made this whole thing that much more depressing. Everyone knew, everyone suffered, but they were daring not to speak it. Not speak the truth.

As it stood, Joey was looking directly at Johnny, and only him. Johnny continued to play, but only because that was expected of him. He only wished he could play better. Not this trash.

Joey’s gaze only seemed to darken with every sour or slow note Johnny played, and that caused Johnny to mess up more.

It was no surprise that after everything was played, and they were all able to take a break, that Joey would ambush Johnny in the hallway.

“Mister Lawrence! I have half a mind to make everyone, but especially you, do a whole new recording of that song!” Joey said, balancing onto his good leg and using his cane to jab Johnny’s shoe. “You seemed distracted.”

Johnny, fearful for his job, stuttered unintelligibly, and struggled to come up with an answer that wasn’t the truth. Or at least, not the issue at hand.  

“Everyone’s work has been slow and sloppy, because Norman hasn’t been to work in a week. We’re worried. And at least one of us has to be there to turn the projector and other equipment off and on, and we’ve actually had to modify some of the sheet music just to accommodate that.” Johnny finally explained. “If I’d known you’d be doing it today, I wouldn’t have modified my sheets. I’m sorry.”

Joey removed his cane from Johnny’s shoe, and balanced back onto it.

“I see. I must get around to hiring someone to replace Mr. Polk, if he can’t be bothered to show up for work.” Joey smiled, and rubbed his chin. “Maybe your brother can take over. He’s easily distracted, but wouldn’t listening to music help him write?”

Johnny knew how well that would go.

“It doesn’t work like that, Mister Drew.” Johnny faked a smile, trying to make this conversation seem as casual as Joey clearly wanted to make it  “Making Sammy listen to music is just going to annoy him. He’s far too contrary. He’s rather attached to his office, anyways.”

“That may be so, but I’d rather not have to hire any new people. I don’t really understand the entire process. Mister Cohen did most of the payroll. I only sign the checks.” Joey hummed. “Why, I’d offer you the position if I didn’t have plans for you!”

Johnny blanched.

“Plans?”

Joey grinned, and that was when Johnny knew he was as good as dead.

Johnny went to run, to leave and never come back, because he wasn’t going to be just another rumor.

“Plans for either you, or you brother. Who needs two? If I don’t kill you now, I’ll just kill Sam instead.” This brought his flight response to a hault, and Johnny’s heart caught in his throat. Even then, he still found the spite to snap Joey.

“Don’t call him that!”

“What?” Joey actually seemed caught off guard, like he hadn’t expected Johnny to have any more fight.

“Sam. Only I can call him Sam.”

“Haven’t you heard? _I_ called him Sam, and he actually smiled.”

Johnny knew his priorities were out of order, but that wasn’t right. Johnny knew his brother better than anyone, maybe even Sammy himself, so there was no way Johnny could believe Sammy had smiled at something as simple as a misused name. Sammy was a good person, but he didn’t smile unless he really meant it.

“Thank you,” Joey said, as his grin shifted into a smirk. “Your reaction just makes me all the more confident that you won’t fight.” Joey laughed, as Johnny growled. “With my leg, I like having my victims compliant. Or unaware.”

“Is that what happened to Norman?”

“Oh yes. He didn’t see it coming. My only problem is coming up with an excuse for Wally. I need him relatively healthy and happy and did not anticipate his reaction to Mister Polk’s disappearance.”

Didn’t anticipate that? Joey had to be lying. Ever since Henry left, Wally had been following Norman around like a lost puppy, and everyone who cared about Wally knew that.

“You’re really putting it out there, aren’t you?”

“Of course. I always tell my sacrifices these things. Peace in death.”

“So, this is really happening. You’re really taking us all down?”

“Yes. With a purpose. If you’ll follow me, I might just explain further.”

Johnny went to protest, went to pull away when Joey grabbed his arm, but the sudden image of Sammy _bloody and dead_ flashed through his mind. Johnny didn’t want that. If one of them had to die, it had to be him. Johnny was quite sure he was panicked to the point of being absolutely calm about his oncoming death.

Joey smiled once more, and he led Johnny to the pipe organ room, whistling. With all the strength of a man slowly dying, Joey pushed Johnny into the room, where Johnny stumbled and caught himself on the pipe organ, but just barely.

The pipe organ was spattered with fresh ink. The burst pipe was still sputtering and dripping ink, and the floor was covered with the awful liquid. The walls and ceiling dripped ink, that source unsure.

Johnny glanced around the room. Joey was blocking the doorway. Even if Johnny hadn’t accepted this, there would be no point in screaming, since Sammy was at home sick, and most of everyone were under Joey’s control through love or fear, he doubted anyone would come for him.

Johnny sat down on the bench in front of the pipe organ, but only because he felt Joey's gaze travel to it. Johnny hated pipe organs. Their dreaded notes had been played at far too many funerals for him to find them anything but sad. Fitting, since he was going to die. Johnny decided that he’d much like to play some kind of music if that was so, and his fingers found the slick keys. If this was the end, he wanted to down doing something he loved. Even if it was through the likes of a pipe organ, and so he played.

“Can you grant a dead man one last wish?” 

“Of course.” Joey’s smile was as sharp as the knife he'd pulled out of his belt.

“You said you would tell me why you’re doing this. All of this.”

“I wish to cheat death...oh yes...I've figured it all out.”

“Cheat death? Do you really want to live forever? Seems selfish to me.”

“It’s not selfish. I plan to take so many of these people with me. Those loyal. The rest...well, they’ll just have to accept whatever they receive. Or they will be like you.”

Joey pinned Johnny to the pipe organ, pressing him into the keys, one hand on his neck, and the other holding the knife.

“Would you like to do this to yourself?”

“No. Then I wouldn’t get into heaven.”  
  
“Heaven? Even if such a thing existed, you will never get there. Not when I’m done.”

Laughing, Joey sliced through Johnny's neck, and Johnny’s blood spilled, mixing with the ink. But the nightmare had only started.

**Author's Note:**

> Johnny would have fought to live if Sammy’s life wasn’t apparently at stake. Johnny cares for Sammy most out of anything, and that is always fact. If Joey hadn't brought Sammy into this matter, Johnny would have been gone pretty fast. Joey either ambushes, or threatens people to get his way, and everyone is already too scared of Joey to argue much, especially with loved ones on the line.


End file.
